Program guide system with advertisements

ABSTRACT

An interactive television program guide is provided in which advertisements may be displayed on program guide screens. Banner advertisements may be displayed above and below program listings. Panel advertisements may be provided adjacent to program listings. The advertisements may contain video. The advertisements may be used to promote television programs and conventional goods and services. When a user selects an advertisement, the program guide provides the user with an opportunity to order products or services, request information, set reminders for upcoming programs, view program descriptions, record programs, or take other such actions. Embedded advertisements may be provided within the program listings region and may be automatically displayed immediately adjacent to related program listings.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of a pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/901,004 filed Sep. 14, 2007, which is a divisional of U.S.application Ser. No. 10/947,545, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,287,267 filed Sep.20, 2004, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/070,604, filed Apr. 30, 1998, now abandoned, the disclosures of whichare incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to interactive television program guides, andmore particularly, to techniques for presenting advertising to users ofsuch television program guides.

Cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems provide viewers witha large number of television channels. Viewers have traditionallyconsulted printed television program schedules to determine the programsbeing broadcast at a particular time. More recently, interactiveelectronic television program guides have been developed that allowtelevision program information to be displayed on a viewer's television.

Interactive program guides are typically implemented on set-top boxes.Such program guides allow users to view television program listings indifferent display formats. For example, a user may instruct the programguide to display a grid of program listings organized in achannel-ordered or a time-ordered list. Users may also search and sortprogram listings by theme (e.g., movies, sports, etc.) or by title (i.e,alphabetically). A user may obtain additional information for a programby placing a highlight region on a desired program listing and pressingan “info” key. The user may purchase a pay program from the programguide or may set a reminder for a future program by placing thehighlight region on a program listing and pressing an “OK” key. Somesystems allow the user to select a program for recording by placing thehighlight region on a program listing and pressing a “record” key.

Although interactive program guides facilitate the user's task oflocating programming of interest, it would be desirable if moreinformation and more options were available to the user. For example, itwould be desirable if advertisements were available in the program guideto give the user access to more information and services.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide aninteractive television program guide system that provides advertising onvarious program guide screens.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an interactivetelevision program guide system with interactive advertising.

It is also an object of the invention to provide ways in which a usermay navigate to various program guide advertisements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects of the invention are accomplished in accordancewith the principles of the present invention by providing a systemhaving an interactive television program guide that provides advertisingon various program guide screens. Banner advertisements may be displayedabove and below a program listings region. The user may scroll theprogram listings in the program listings region by using a cursor key tomove a highlight to the upper or lower banner advertisement and by thenactivating the cursor key another time.

Advertisements may contain text, graphics (including animation), andvideo. Advertisements may also contain a list of program options.

Embedded advertisements may be provided in the program listings region.The program guide may display such embedded advertisements immediatelyadjacent to a related program listing. For example, a programadvertisement for “Seinfeld” may be placed immediately adjacent to aprogram listing for the channel NBC, which is the channel on which theprogram “Seinfeld” is scheduled to appear.

Panel advertisements may be provided adjacent to the program listings. Ahighlight may be navigated between the program listings in the programlistings region and the panel advertisements using dedicated remotecontrol navigation keys (e.g., keys labeled “A,” “B,” and “C”), each ofwhich is associated with a particular region of the screen (e.g., one ofthe panel advertisements or the program listing region.) This type ofarrangement may also be used to navigate to banner advertisements.

Another way in which to navigate to the panel advertisements is to useremote control cursor keys. If embedded advertisements are provided inthe program listings region, they may be used as navigational bridgesbetween the program listings region and the panel advertisements. Thehighlight may also be navigated from the program listings region to thepanel advertisements without using such navigational bridges if desired.

Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantageswill be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the followingdetailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system in which an interactive televisionprogram guide is implemented in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a system similar to the system of FIG. 1 showinghow servers may be located at network nodes in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen containingpanel advertisements and a program listings region in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 4 a is a simplified plan view of an illustrative remote control inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 b is a simplified plan view of another illustrative remotecontrol in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen containingadvertising information (text, graphics, and video) and advertisingoptions in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of illustrative advertising options in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen containingpanel advertisements and a program listings region having an embeddedadvertisement in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen containingpanel advertisements and a program listings region having an embeddedadvertisement that may be scrolled with the program listings inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen containingpanel advertisements and a program listings region having an embeddedadvertisement with a fixed location within the program listings inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of an embedded advertisement arrangement in whichthe user may page through the program listings without disturbing theposition of the advertisement in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 11 a, 11 b, and 11 c are diagrams illustrating how an embeddedadvertisement may be introduced into a program listings region in realtime using a graphics special effect in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIGS. 12 a and 12 b are diagrams illustrating how a user may navigate ahighlight to selectable logos in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen containingpanel advertisements and a program listings region having two embeddedadvertisements that may be used as navigational bridges in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen containingpanel advertisements and a program listings region from which the usermay directly navigate to the panel advertisements in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen containingbanner advertisements and a program listings region between which theuser may navigate using special navigation keys in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen containingbanner advertisements that shows how a user may scroll program listingsby depressing a cursor key after having navigated a highlight to one ofthe banners in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen containingpanel advertisements and a selectable program-related banneradvertisement in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen that may beprovided when the user selects a program-related advertisement such asthe program-related banner advertisement of FIG. 17 in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen that may beprovided when the user selects a pay-per-view program-relatedadvertisement in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen with banneradvertisements (upper screen), an illustrative screen that may beprovided when a pay-per-view program-related advertisement is selected(middle screen), and an illustrative screen that may be provided when anon-pay-per-view program related advertisement is selected (lowerscreen) in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a diagram of an illustrative program guide screen containinga program listings region with an embedded advertisement that has beenautomatically positioned immediately adjacent to an associated programlisting in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating how a program guide in accordance withthe present invention may provide a program guide screen containingadvertisements related to a particular channel (upper screen) and howselection of such an advertisement may direct the program guide topresent a program guide screen containing a time-ordered list of programlistings for that channel (lower screen) in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart of steps involved in presenting selectableadvertisements and in taking suitable actions when such advertisementsare selected using a program guide in accordance with the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An illustrative program guide system 30 in accordance with the presentinvention is shown in FIG. 1. Main facility 32 contains a program guidedatabase 34 for storing program guide information such as televisionprogram guide listings data, pay-per-view ordering information,television program promotional information, etc. Main facility 32 alsocontains an advertising database 36 for storing advertising information.Information from databases 34 and 36 may be transmitted to televisiondistribution facility 38 via communications link 40. Link 40 may be asatellite link, a telephone network link, a cable or fiber optic link, amicrowave link, a combination of such links, or any other suitablecommunications path. If it is desired to transmit video signals (e.g.,for advertising and promotional videos) over link 40 in addition to datasignals, a relatively high bandwidth link such as a satellite link isgenerally preferable to a relatively low bandwidth link such as atelephone line.

Television distribution facility 38 is a facility for distributingtelevision signals to users, such as a cable system headed, a broadcastdistribution facility, or a satellite television distribution facility.

The program guide information transmitted by main facility 32 totelevision distribution facility 38 includes television program listingsdata such as program times, channels, titles, descriptions, etc.Transmitted program information also includes pay program data such aspricing information for individual programs and subscription channels,time windows for ordering programs and channels, telephone numbers forplacing orders that cannot be impulse ordered, etc. The advertisinginformation transmitted by main facility 32 to television distributionfacility 38 includes text, graphics, and video advertisements forvarious products and services. If desired, some of the program guide andadvertising information may be provided using data sources at facilitiesother than main facility 32. For example, data related to pay programorder processing (e.g., billing data and the like) may be generated byan order processing and billing system that is separate from mainfacility 32 and separate from television distribution facility 38.Similarly, advertising information may be generated by an advertisingfacility that is separate from main facility 32 and televisiondistribution facility 38.

Regardless of its source, advertising information may be maintained on aserver 42 within television distribution facility 38 if desired. Server42 may be capable of handling text, graphics, and video.

Television distribution facility 38 distributes program guide andadvertising information to the user television equipment 44 of multipleusers via communications paths 46. User television equipment 44 may beany suitable equipment for providing television to the user thatcontains sufficient processing capabilities to implement an interactivetelevision program guide. Paths 46 may be cable links, fiber opticlinks, satellite links, broadcast links, or other suitable link orcombination of such links. Any suitable communications scheme may beused to transmit data over paths 46, including in-band transmissions,out-of-band transmissions, digital transmissions, analog transmissions,cable transmissions, satellite transmissions, over-the-airtransmissions, multichannel multipoint distribution services (MMDS)transmissions, etc.

If desired, program guide data may be distributed over an out-of-bandchannel on paths 46 or over an in-band path such as the verticalblanking interval (VBI). Advertising information may be distributedusing any of a number of suitable techniques. For example, text andgraphics advertisements may be distributed over an out-of-band channelusing an out-of-band modulator. Video advertisements may also bedistributed in this way, although large quantities of video informationmay be more efficiently distributed using one or more digital channelson path 46. Such digital channels may also be used for distributing textand graphics.

Each user has a receiver, which is typically a set-top box such asset-top box 48, but which may be other suitable television equipmentsuch as an advanced television receiver into which circuitry similar toset-top-box circuitry has been integrated or a personal computertelevision (PC/TV). Program guide data is distributed to set-top boxes48 periodically. Television distribution facility 38 may also pollset-top boxes 48 periodically for certain information (e.g., pay programaccount information or information regarding programs that have beenpurchased and viewed using locally-generated authorization techniques).Main facility 32 preferably contains a processor to handle informationdistribution tasks. Each set-top box 48 preferably contains a processorto handle tasks associated with implementing a program guide applicationon the set-top box 48. Television distribution facility 38 may contain aprocessor for handling tasks associated with the distribution of programguide and advertising information.

Each set-top box 48 is typically connected to an optional videocassetterecorder 50 so that selected television programs may be recorded. Eachvideocassette recorder 50 is connected to a television 52. To record aprogram, set-top box 48 tunes to a particular channel and sends controlsignals to videocassette recorder 50 (e.g., using infrared transmitter43) that direct videocassette recorder 50 to start and stop recording atthe appropriate times.

During use of the interactive television program guide implemented onset-top box 48, television program listings may be displayed ontelevision 52. Each set-top box 48, videocassette recorder 50, andtelevision 52 may be controlled by one or more remote controls 54 or anyother suitable user input interface such as a wireless keyboard, mouse,trackball, dedicated set of keys, etc.

Communications paths 46 preferably have sufficient bandwidth to allowtelevision distribution facility 38 to distribute scheduled televisionprogramming, pay programming, advertising and other promotional videos,and other video information to set-top boxes 44 in addition to non-videoprogram guide and advertising data. Multiple television and audiochannels (analog, digital, or both analog and digital) may be providedto set-top boxes 48 via communications paths 46. If desired, programlistings and advertising information may be distributed by one or moredistribution facilities that are similar to but separate from televisiondistribution facility 38 using communications paths that are separatefrom communications paths 46.

Certain functions such as pay program purchasing may require set-topboxes 48 to transmit data to television distribution facility 38 overcommunications paths 46. If desired, such data may be transmitted overtelephone lines or other separate communications paths. If functionssuch as these are provided using facilities separate from televisiondistribution facility 38, some of the communications involving set-topboxes 48 may be made directly with the separate facilities.

Users may interactively order additional information, products, orservices. Such orders may be satisfied by fulfillment facilities 49 and51. If desired, orders may be transmitted directly to fulfillmentfacilities such as fulfillment facility 51 via links 53, which may betelephone links, the Internet, or other suitable communications links.Orders may also be transmitted to television distribution facility 38via links 46, where the billing system of the television distributionfacility may be used. After the television distribution facility 38 hasprocessed the user's order, television distribution facility 38 maytransmit the order to fulfillment facility 49 via link 55.

A number of suitable techniques may be used to distribute videos relatedto advertising. For example, if each path 46 includes a number oftraditional analog television channels, one or more of these channelsmay be used to support a number of digital channels. The bandwidth ofeach analog channel that is used to support digital channels may supportten or more of such digital channels. If desired, videos may be providedfrom server 42 in a continuously looped arrangement on these digitalchannels. Information provided to set-top box 48 may then be used todetermine which digital channels to tune to when it is time to display adesired video. Alternatively, videos may be provided on demand. Withthis approach, set-top box 48 and server 42 may negotiate to determine achannel on which to provide the desired video. Videos that originatefrom main facility 32 or a separate facility are preferably distributedto user television equipment 44 using these or other suitabletechniques.

As shown in FIG. 2, the capabilities of server 42 may be provided usingservers 56 located at network nodes 58. Servers such as servers 56 maybe used instead of server 42 or may be used in conjunction with a server42 located at the television distribution facility.

Graphics information for advertisements may be downloaded periodically(e.g., once per day) to set-top boxes 48 of FIG. 1 and stored locally.The graphics information may be accessed locally when needed by theprogram guide implemented on set-top box 48. Alternatively, graphicsinformation may be provided in a continuously-looped arrangement on oneor more digital channels on paths 46. With such a continuously-loopedarrangement, a map indicating the location of the latest graphicsinformation is preferably downloaded periodically to set-top boxes 48(e.g., once per day). This allows the content on the digital channels tobe updated. The program guides on set-top boxes 48 may use the map tolocate desired graphics information on the digital channels. Anotherapproach involves using a server such as server 42 or servers 56 (FIG.2) to provide the graphics information after a set-top box 48 and thatserver have negotiated to set up a download operation. A bitmap or othersuitable set of graphics information may then be downloaded from theserver to the set-top box. If desired, the server may downloadinstructions informing the set-top box where the desired graphicsinformation can be located on a particular digital channel. The graphicsinformation can be updated periodically if the server that isresponsible for downloading the instructions for informing the set-topbox of the location of the graphics information is also updatedperiodically.

Text information for advertisements may be provided to set-top boxes 48using the same paths that are used for distributing program guide data.For example, advertising data from database 36 of FIG. 1 may be providedto set-top boxes 48 using link 40, television distribution facility 38,and paths 46. The text information may be stored locally in set-topboxes 48 and updated periodically (e.g., once per day).

Text information, graphics information, and videos for advertisementsmay also be distributed using a combination of these techniques or anyother suitable technique.

If desired, advertising related information (whether video, graphics,text, or a combination of video, graphics, and text) may be presented tothe user based on the user's interests, as determined by the user'sinteractions with the program guide. This is described in Knudson et al.U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/034,939, filed Mar. 4, 1998, whichis hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

As shown in FIG. 3, the program guide of the present invention maydisplay a program guide screen such as by time listings screen 60 thatcontains advertising information in the form of panel advertisements 62and 64. Although the advertisements depicted in FIG. 3 are shown in thecontext of a by time program guide listings screen, advertisements maybe displayed as part of any program guide screen if desired. Examples ofprogram guide screens on which advertisements may be displayed include amenu screen, a by channel listings screen, a screen containing programlistings for premium channels, a pay-per-view listings screen, a screencontaining programs for a particular genre of programming, a helpscreen, a music channel menu, a search screen, etc.

The content of advertisements 62 and 64 may be cycled over a suitabletime period (e.g., every few seconds) if desired. Transitions betweenadvertisements such as advertisements 62 and 64 or advertisements of anyother format that are cycled may be abrupt or may involve a gradualfade, dissolve, wipe, morph, or other suitable special effect. If theuser has highlighted a particular advertisement, the program guide mayinhibit cycling of that advertisement.

Each advertisement may have a label that corresponds to a key on aremote control that the user may press to access the advertisement. Forexample, advertisement 62 has label 66 (i.e., the letter “A”) andadvertisement 64 has label 68 (i.e., the letter “B”). Other areas on theprogram guide screen may also be provided with such labels if desired.For example, program listings region 70 has label 72 (i.e., the letter“C”).

A suitable remote control that may be used to navigate betweenadvertisement 62, advertisement 64, and program listings region 70 isshown in FIG. 4 a. When the user presses navigation keys 86 a (i.e., the“A”), the program guide highlights advertisement 62 of FIG. 3, which isthe region of the program guide screen containing label 66 (the letter“A”). When the user presses navigation key 86 b, the program guidehighlights advertisement 64 of FIG. 3, which is the region of theprogram guide screen containing label 68 (the letter “B”). When the userpresses navigation key 86 c, the program guide places a highlight regionsuch as highlight 87 of FIG. 3 on one of the program listings in programlistings region 70, which is the region of program guide screen 60containing label 72 (the letter “C”).

Remote control 74 of FIG. 4 a has channel up and down keys 76, numerickeys 78, up, down, right, and left cursor keys 80, a select or “OK” key82, and functions keys 84. Function keys 84 may include a “menu” key, an“exit” key, a “guide” key, and keys for other program guide functions.Various other keys such as a power on/off key, volume control keys, etc.are typically provided on remote control 74, but are not shown in FIG. 4a to avoid over-complicating the drawing.

If desired, a remote control may be provided that has dedicated buttons75 with the same shape and layout as the advertisements and programlistings on the display screen, as shown in FIG. 4 b. Pressing button 75a takes the user to the upper panel advertisement. Pressing button 75 btakes the user to the lower panel advertisement. Pressing button 75 ctakes the user to the program listings region.

As shown in FIG. 3, program guide screens such as screen 60 may beprovided with a cable system operator (“MSO”) logo 88 and a logo 90 forthe provider of the program guide. Any other suitable logos may beprovided if desired. A title 92 may be provided to indicate the type ofprogram guide screen that is currently being displayed. The current timeand the channel to which set-top box 48 is tuned may be displayed incurrent time and channel region 93.

Program listings 95 in program listings region 70 may be arranged in achannel ordered list (in the vertical dimension) and by time (in thehorizontal orientation). Program listings region 70 typically containsprogram title information for various television programs and mayinclude descriptive information such as plot summaries, actors, ratings,etc.

Advertisements such as advertisements 62 and 64 may include text,graphics, and video information. A user may select an advertisement ofinterest by highlighting that advertisement using navigation keys 86 andpressing “OK” key 82 of remote control 74 (FIG. 4). The program guidemay take various actions when an advertisement is selected by the user.For example, the program guide may provide a screen such as screen 94 ofFIG. 5 that contains text advertising information 96, graphicsadvertising information 98 (which may include animation), and videoadvertising information 100. Screen 94 may also contain advertisingoptions 102 that provide the user with further opportunities to viewinformation, place an order, etc.

The action taken by the program guide when a user selects anadvertisement varies depending on the type of advertisement. Forexample, if the advertisement is a promotion for a television program,the program guide may provide the user with an opportunity to tune tothe program (if it is currently being broadcast) or to set a reminderfor the program (if it is to be broadcast in the future). If the programbeing promoted in the advertisement is a pay-per-view program, theprogram guide may provide the user with an opportunity to order theprogram. If the advertisement is a promotion for a television channel,the program guide may display program listings for that channel.

When an advertisement is a promotion for a television program orchannel, text advertising information 96 may be text describing theprogram or channel, graphics information may be a still image of theactors in the program or a graphic image of a logo. Video advertisinginformation 100 may be a promotional video of the program or upcomingprogramming on the channel. Screen 94 may contain some or all of thesedifferent types of advertising media.

If the advertisement is not directly related to a television program orchannel (i.e., the advertisement is a conventional advertisement), theprogram guide may provide the user with an opportunity to purchase theproduct or service being advertised. The program guide may also allowthe user to view more information on the product or service beingadvertised. In this situation, the text advertising information 96 ofFIG. 5 may be a description of the product or service, the graphicsadvertising information 98 may be an image of the product or service,and the video advertising information 102 may be a video promotion ofthe product or service. Advertising options 102 may allow the user toorder more information or a brochure, to view a video of the product, orto request a call from a salesperson, etc.

For example, if the item being advertised in an advertisement is a newtruck, the program guide may provide advertising options 104 of FIG. 6.Advertising options 104 may be presented as part of screen 94, in placeof screen 94, or as part of the advertisement itself. Typical optionsrelated to advertising a new truck include an option 106 to request abrochure, an option 108 to view a video tour of the new truck, an option110 to view a list of local dealers, an option 112 to view or requestfinancing information, or an option 114 to purchase the truck.Additional options may be accessed by scrolling up or down, as indicatedby arrows 116.

As shown in FIG. 7, an embedded selectable advertisement 118 may beprovided within program listings region 120 of program guide screen 122.The user may access region 120 by pressing the “C” navigation key 86 con remote control 74 (FIG. 4 a). Selecting program listings region 120causes the program guide to display highlight 122 at a suitable locationwithin the program listings region. For example, highlight 122 may beplaced on the program listing that was most recently highlighted or maybe placed on the program listing at the top of program listings region120.

Advertisement 118 may be fixed or may scroll with the program listings.If advertisement 118 scrolls with the program listings in region 120,pressing the down cursor key 80 when the highlight is on the programlisting for channel 9 as shown in FIG. 7 will cause the listings toscroll to the positions shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, highlightregion 122 has moved to the program listing for the next program inregion 120 (i.e., the listing for channel 10). Moreover, advertisement118 has moved up one line relative to its position in FIG. 7. Using theup cursor key 80 when highlight 122 is in the top position of programlistings region 120 causes the program listings in region 120 andadvertisement 118 to scroll in the downward direction.

If advertisement 118 has a fixed position in program listings region120, scrolling up or down with cursor keys 80 does not affect theposition of advertisement 118, but merely moves the program listings. Ifthe down cursor key is pressed when highlight is positioned on top ofthe channel 9 program listing as shown in FIG. 7, the position ofadvertisement 118 remains unchanged, but the program listings move upone line and highlight 112 is placed on top of the program listing forchannel 10, as shown in FIG. 9.

If desired, the program guide may allow the user to page through variousprogram listings while the position of an advertisement in the programlistings remains fixed, as shown in FIG. 10. To page through the programlistings, the user may use remote control page up and down keys (shownas functions keys 84 in FIG. 4 a). Alternatively, the program guide mayprovide a new page of program listings whenever the user activates thedown cursor key after positioning the highlight on the last programlisting on the page (e.g., the listing for channel 6 on the upper screenof FIG. 10).

As shown in FIGS. 11 a, 11 b, and 11 c, an advertisement may be insertedinto a program listings region dynamically, using graphics animation. InFIG. 11 a, program listings region 124 contains only program listings126. After a suitable time interval (e.g., a few seconds after theprogram guide presents screen 124 of FIG. 11 a), the program guide maygenerate an animated graphic advertisement that appears to slide intothe program listings region 124 dynamically, as shown in FIG. 11 b. Whenthe animated sliding movement is complete, the program listings region124 appears as shown in FIG. 11 c, with advertisement 128 embedded inprogram listings 126. The animated movement shown in FIGS. 11 a, 11 b,and 11 c is illustrative only. Any other suitable type of special effectmay be used to display advertisement 128. Examples of special effectsthat may be used include fades, wipes, bounces, and morphs.

As shown in FIGS. 12 a and 12 b, the program guide may allow the user toposition highlight region 138 on logos such as MSO logo 130 and programguide provider logo 132 that are not in the program listings region 136.In the arrangement shown in FIG. 12 a, the user may navigate to logo 130from advertisement 134 using an up cursor key 80. The user may navigatefrom logo 130 to advertisement 134 using a down cursor key 80.Navigation between logo 130 and logo 132 may be accomplished using leftand right cursor keys. In the arrangement of FIG. 12 b, navigation toguide provider logo 132 is also possible using the up cursor key fromprogram listings region 136. Initially, pressing the up cursor key 80scrolls the program listings in program listings region 136. After theuser has scrolled to the first program listing in the list (e.g.,channel 1), further use of the up cursor key 80 causes highlight region138 to be repositioned from the channel 1 program listing to logo 132,as shown in FIG. 12 b.

If the user selects MSO logo 130, the program guide may provideadditional information on MSO services. If the user selects guideprovider logo 132, the user may be provided with program guide help.These are only examples of the types of information that may be accessedby selecting logos. Any other suitable type of information or programguide function may be accessed in this way if desired.

As shown in FIG. 13, program listings region 140 may contain more thanone embedded advertisement. Embedded advertisements such asadvertisements 142 and 144 may be used as navigational bridges betweenthe program listings region 140 and advertisements such as paneladvertisements 146 and 148. For example, if the user positions highlight150 on advertisement 142 as shown in FIG. 13, depressing the left cursorkey 80 directs the program guide to reposition highlight 150 onadvertisement 146. The user may navigate back to advertisement 142 inprogram listings region 140 using right cursor key 80. If the userpositions highlight 150 on advertisement 144, depressing the left cursorkey 80 directs the program guide to reposition highlight 150 onadvertisement 148. The user may navigate between advertisements 146 and148 using up and down cursor keys 80.

When the user has positioned highlight 150 on one of program listings152 in program listings region 140, subsequent use of the left and rightcursor keys 80 directs the program guide to display program listings fordifferent times. In the example of FIG. 13, pressing the right cursorkey 80 directs the program guide to display program listings for 5:30 PMand 6:00 PM in place of the program listings already displayed for 5:00PM and 5:30 PM. Pressing the left cursor key 80 directs the programguide to display program listings for 4:30 PM and 5:00 PM in place ofthe program listings already displayed for 5:00 PM and 5:30 PM.

With the arrangement of FIG. 13, the user may navigate from programlistings region 140 to advertisements 146 and 148 using advertisements142 and 144 as navigational bridges even when the current time (2:03 inthe example of FIG. 13) is earlier than the starting time period for thedisplayed program listings (5:00).

In the arrangement of FIG. 14, the user navigates between the programlistings region and advertisements 154 and 156 by repeatedly pressingthe left cursor key 80 until the starting time period for the programlistings has been reduced to match the current time (within, e.g., a 30minute window). This is shown in FIG. 14, in which the starting time 162of the program listings has been reduced to 2:00 PM to bring it in linewith the current time 164 (2:03 PM) by repeated pressing of the leftcursor key 80 while the highlight 158 was on one of the program listings166 or on advertisement 160.

When the left cursor key 80 is pressed, the program guide may positionhighlight 158 on the nearest adjacent advertisement (i.e., advertisement154 when highlight 158 is on a program listing on the upper portion ofthe screen or advertisement 156 when highlight 158 is on a programlisting on the lower portion of the screen). If desired, the programguide may position highlight 158 on one of the advertisements based onsome other criteria, (e.g., always on the upper advertisement, always onthe advertisement for which a greater fee has been paid, etc.)

FIG. 15 shows how the program guide may provide advertisements in theform of banner advertisements 168 and 170 positioned above and below theprogram listings region 172. Advertisement 170 is shown as containingvideo 171. FIG. 15 shows how advertisements 168 and 170 and programlistings region 172 may have labels 174 to assist in navigation betweenportions of the screen when using special navigational keys such asnavigation keys 86 on remote control 74 of FIG. 4 a. When the userpresses navigation key 86 a of remote control 74, the program guidepositions highlight 176 on banner advertisement 168. When the userpresses navigation key 86 b of remote control 74, the program guidepositions highlight 176 on banner advertisement 170. When the userpresses navigation key 86 c of remote control 74, the program guidepositions highlight 174 on one of the program listings in programlistings region 172 (e.g., the uppermost program listing or the mostrecently highlighted program listing). If desired, numeric keys may beused as the special navigation keys, rather than dedicated keys 86 a, 86b and 86 c.

FIG. 16 shows how the program guide may allow the user to navigate tobanner advertisements such as banner advertisements 178 and 180 fromprogram listings region 182 without the use of navigation keys such asdedicated navigation keys 86 a, 86 b, and 86 c of remote control 74(FIG. 4 a). With the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 16, when the userhas positioned highlight 184 on the lowermost program listing in programlistings region 182 (i.e., the channel 5 program listing as shown in theupper screen of FIG. 16), subsequent activation of down cursor key 80directs the program guide to reposition highlight region 184 on lowerbanner advertisement 180, as illustrated in the middle screen of FIG.16, rather than immediately scrolling the program listings in programlistings region 182. Further activation of down cursor key 80 directsthe program guide to display the next page of program listings inprogram listings region 182, as shown in the lower screen in FIG. 16,while repositioning highlight 184 on banner advertisement 178. The usermay then activate down cursor 80 to position highlight 184 on a desiredlisting.

The user may navigate to upper banner advertisement 178 using the upcursor key 80. When the user has positioned highlight 184 on theuppermost program listing in program listings region 182, subsequentactivation of up cursor key 80 directs the program guide to repositionhighlight region 184 on upper banner advertisement 178. Activation of upcursor key 80 when highlight region 184 is positioned on advertisement178 directs the program guide to display the previous page of programlistings in program listings region 182, while repositioning highlightregion 184 on banner advertisement 180. The user may then activate upcursor 80 to position highlight 184 on a desired listing.

Advertisements may be used to promote any desired type of product orservice. When advertisements are used to promote television programs,the program guide may allow the selection of an advertisement to provideaccess to program guide features that might otherwise be accessed byselecting a program listing from a program guide screen. Features thatmay be accessed in this way include viewing (tuning to) a program,recording a program, setting a reminder for a program, etc. This allowsadvertisements to be used to promote programs, thereby generatingrevenue and increasing the user's awareness of the availability of theadvertised programs, while continuing to provide the user with the sameprogram guide features with which the user is most familiar.

For example, if the user selects advertisement 186 of FIG. 17 for theprogram “ER,” the program guide may present screen 188 of FIG. 18, whichcontains a program description 190 for an episode of ER, advertisements192 and 194, and program options 196. Program options 196 include “exit”(to exit screen 188), “view” (to tune to the channel for ER), and“record” (to instruct the program guide implemented in set-top box 48 todirect videocassette recorder 50 to record ER). Other options may beaccessed by using left and right cursor keys 80, as indicated by arrows198.

The program options that may be provided depend on the type of programbeing advertised in the selected advertisement. For example, if aselected advertisement is for a future program, the program guide mightprovide the user with an opportunity to set a reminder for the program.As shown in FIG. 19, if an advertisement for a pay-per-view program isselected, the user may be presented with an option 200 to order theprogram. Screen 202 also contains program descriptions 204 and 206,title 208, logos 210, and an area 212 containing a video of the program(which may be provided, e.g., over a digital channel on path 46), astill image, or other such material.

The descriptions provided in descriptions regions such as those fordescriptions 204 and 206 may be promotional descriptions that arespecifically designed to attract viewer interest or may be more neutralreviews of the program being described.

Screen 213 of FIG. 20 contains banner advertisement 214 for apay-per-view program and banner advertisement 216 for a series. Programlistings region 218 contains an embedded advertisement 220. Navigationbetween the advertisements and program listings of screen 213 may beaccomplished using up and down cursor keys as shown in FIG. 16.

If the user selects advertisement 214 of FIG. 20, the user is presentedwith screen 222. Because the program “Volcano” that is the subject ofadvertisement 214 is a pay-per-view program, selecting advertisement 214directs the program guide to display pay-per-view program options 224 aspart of pay-per-view description box 226. Program options 224 includeoptions to buy the program Volcano (e.g., by impulse ordering or bycalling a certain telephone number), to record the program, or to cancelthe presentation of box 226 and options 224. Box 226 may also includeinformation 230 on the channel and airtimes of the program of interest.With the arrangement of screen 222, the uppermost program listing fromprogram listings region 218 of screen 213 (i.e., the program listing 228for the program “Andy Griffith”) is still displayed. This provides theuser with a visual cue that the program listings of program listingsregion 218 are still available if the user selects “cancel.”

If the user selects advertisement 216 of FIG. 20, the user is presentedwith screen 232. Because the program “ER” that is the subject ofadvertisement 216 is not currently being broadcast and is not apay-per-view program, selecting advertisement 216 directs the programguide to display program options 234 as part of description box 236.Program options 234 include options to set a reminder for the program(so that the program guide will generate a reminder message when theprogram is about to be aired), to record the program, or to cancel. Withthe arrangement of screen 232, the uppermost program listing fromprogram listings region 218 of screen 213 (i.e., the program listing 238for the program “Andy Griffith”) is still displayed. This provides theuser with a visual cue that the program listings of program listingsregion 218 are still available if the user selects “cancel.”

When the program guide displays screens 222 and 232, the programdescriptions information and program options are displayed on the lowerportion of the screen, so that upper banner advertisement 214 is notblocked. Logos 240 and 242 may be displayed on screens 213, 222, and232. The current time and channel to which set-top box 48 is tuned maybe displayed simultaneously or periodically (e.g., alternating every fewseconds) in region 244. The title of the program guide display screenmay be displayed in region 246.

As shown in FIG. 21, the program guide may automatically positionembedded advertisements such as embedded advertisement 248 immediatelyadjacent to the program listings for the channel (e.g., channel 1) thatthe embedded advertisement is promoting. For example, advertisement 248may contain text and graphics that promote program “X” on channel 1.Advertisement 248 is immediately adjacent to program listing 252 forchannel 1. The content of the embedded advertisement need not bedirectly related to the promotion of the adjacent program, but may berelated to the adjacent program in some other way. For example, anembedded advertisement for football souvenirs may be placed immediatelyadjacent to the program listing for a football game. If desired, theprogram guide may provide the user with an opportunity to purchase anadvertised product by selecting such an advertisement. Becauseadvertisements such as advertisement 248 may contain colorful text,graphics (including animation), and video that attract the user'sattention to the subject of the advertisement, placing suchadvertisements adjacent to their associated program listings mayincrease the user's interest in the program listings. Embeddedadvertisements may be repositioned with the program listings (e.g.,during scrolling or paging of the program listings by the user), so thatthey remain immediately adjacent to their associated program listings.

If the embedded advertisement is for a program, users who are attractedto the advertisement does not have to scroll through the listings(potentially for many pages) to locate the program listings for theprogram being promoted. This provides the user with a simple visualindication of the association between, e.g., the channel 1 programlisting and the adjacent embedded advertisement. It also provides theuser with access to both the original program listing for the programand the advertisement. Because the content of the description and theoptions that are available may differ between the program listing andthe advertisement, access to both the program listings and theadvertisement provides the user with more options.

Moreover, users who are interested in certain program listings oftenrevisit those program listings. The advertising space adjacent to suchprogram listings may therefore be desirable for certain advertisers.Routinely positioning embedded advertisements immediately adjacent toassociated program listings, may increase the value of such embeddedadvertisements to advertisers.

As shown in FIG. 22, advertisements may be related to a particularchannel (e.g., the channel “HBO”). If the user selects HBO advertisement252 of screen 254, the program guide may present a screen such as screen256. Screen 256 contains an advertisement 258 that is related to HBO.Advertisement 258 is shown as containing a graphic image 260, but maycontain any suitable combination of text, graphics (includinganimation), and video. Program listings region 262 contains atime-ordered list of programs scheduled to appear on HBO. Highlight 264in screen 256 is positioned on top of a menu option 266 for the channel“HBO.” The user can navigate to menu option 268 (for the channel “SHO”)and menu option 270 (for the channel “TBS”) using left and right cursorkeys 80. Additional channels can be accessed by further use of the leftand right cursor keys 80, as indicated by arrows 272. The current time274 and logos 276 may be displayed on both screens 254 and 256.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart of illustrative actions that may be taken by theprogram guide when the user selects an advertisement. At step 278, theprogram guide displays a selectable advertisement as part of a suitableprogram guide screen. At step 280, the user may use a remote controlsuch as remote control 74 of FIG. 4 a to select a desired advertisement.Selecting an advertisement involves navigating to the advertisement bypositioning a highlight on the advertisement with cursor keys 80 andactivating a select or “OK” key 82. Any suitable type of highlight maybe used to highlight the advertisement, including highlights based onchanges in color, shading, outlines, etc.

The type of action that the program guide takes next depends on the typeof advertisement selected by the user. Actions that may be takeninclude: tuning to a channel (step 282), setting a reminder for aprogram (step 284), recording a program (step 286), arranging for thepurchase of a pay-per-view program (step 288), arranging for thepurchase of a video-on-demand (VOD) program (step 290), displayingprogram listings (step 292), displaying additional information (step294), processing an inquiry for additional information such as abrochure request, etc. (step 296), and arranging for the purchase ofgoods or services (step 298). The program guide may perform these stepsseparately or in any suitable combination.

The foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of this inventionand various modifications can be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

1. A system in which an interactive television program guide is implemented on user television equipment comprising: means for presenting a program guide screen containing a program listings region with the interactive television program guide, wherein the program listings region includes a first and second area; means for presenting at least one panel advertisement adjacent to the program listings region; means for displaying an embedded advertisement and at least one program listing in the program listings region, wherein the at least one program listing corresponds to the first area in the program listings region; means for displaying a highlight; means for receiving a user input; in response to receiving the user input, means for determining whether the embedded advertisement or the at least one program listing is highlighted; in response to determining that the embedded advertisement is highlighted, means for navigating the highlight from the embedded advertisement in the program listings region to the panel advertisement; and in response to determining that the at least one program listing is highlighted, means for navigating the highlight from the at least one program listing to the second area in the program listings region.
 2. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising: means for navigating the highlight from the program listings region to the panel advertisement using a remote control navigation key other than a cursor key.
 3. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising: means for navigating the highlight from the program listings region to the panel advertisement using a cursor key.
 4. A method for using an interactive television program guide implemented on user television equipment, comprising the steps of: presenting a program guide screen containing a program listings region with the interactive television program guide, wherein the program listings region includes a first and second area; presenting at least one panel advertisement adjacent to the program listings region: displaying an embedded advertisement and at least one program listing in the program listings region, wherein the at least one program listing corresponds to the first area in the program listings region; displaying a highlight; receiving a user input; in response to receiving the user input, determining whether the embedded advertisement or the at least one program listing is highlighted; in response to determining that the embedded advertisement is highlighted, navigating the highlight from the embedded advertisement in the program listings region to the panel advertisement; and in response to determining that the at least one program listing is highlighted, navigating the highlight from the at least one program listing to the second area in the program listings region.
 5. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising the step of navigating the highlight from the program listings region to the panel advertisement using a remote control navigation key other than a cursor key.
 6. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising the step of navigating the highlight from the program listings region to the panel advertisement using a cursor key.
 7. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising the step of implementing the interactive television program guide on a set-top box.
 8. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising the step of presenting a selectable embedded advertisement in the program listings region, the program listings region containing upper program listings above the embedded advertisement and lower program listings below the embedded advertisement, wherein the user must navigate through the embedded advertisement in order to navigate from the upper program listings to the lower program listings.
 9. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising the step of presenting an advertisement containing advertisement options on the program guide screen.
 10. The method defined in claim 4 wherein the step of presenting the panel advertisement further comprises the step of presenting a selectable panel advertisement, the method further comprising the step of providing the user with an opportunity to set a reminder when the user selects the panel advertisement.
 11. The method defined in claim 4 wherein the step of presenting the panel advertisement further comprises the step of presenting a selectable panel advertisement, the method further comprising the step of providing the user with an opportunity to tune to a given channel when the user selects the panel advertisement.
 12. The method defined in claim 4 wherein the step of presenting the panel advertisement further comprises the step of presenting a selectable panel advertisement, the method further comprising the step of providing the user with an opportunity to record a program when the user selects the panel advertisement.
 13. The method defined in claim 4 wherein the step of presenting the panel advertisement further comprises the step of presenting a selectable panel advertisement, the method further comprising the step of providing the user with an opportunity to purchase a program when the user selects the panel advertisement.
 14. The method defined in claim 4 wherein the step of presenting the panel advertisement further comprises the step of presenting a selectable panel advertisement, the method further comprising the step of providing the user with an opportunity to display program listings when the user selects the panel advertisement.
 15. The method defined in claim 4 wherein the step of presenting the panel advertisement further comprises the step of presenting a selectable panel advertisement, the method further comprising the step of providing the user with an opportunity to display additional information when the user selects the panel advertisement.
 16. The method defined in claim 4 wherein the step of presenting the panel advertisement further comprises the step of presenting a selectable panel advertisement, the method further comprising the step of providing the user with an opportunity to process an inquiry for additional information when the user selects the panel advertisement.
 17. The method defined in claim 4 wherein the step of presenting the panel advertisement further comprises the step of presenting a selectable panel advertisement, the method further comprising the step of providing the user with an opportunity to purchase goods when the user selects the panel advertisement.
 18. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising the step of scrolling the embedded advertisement together with the program listings in the program listings region.
 19. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising the step of changing the position of the program listings in the program listings region without changing the position of the embedded advertisement within the program listings region.
 20. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising the step of introducing an embedded advertisement into the program listings region using animation.
 21. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising the steps of: presenting selectable logos on the program guide screen; and navigating the highlight from the program listings region to the selectable logos.
 22. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising the step of cycling the content of the panel advertisements.
 23. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising the steps of: cycling the content of the panel advertisements; and providing a fade between the panel advertisements as they are cycled.
 24. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising the step of automatically displaying an embedded advertisement in the program listings region immediately adjacent to an associated one of the program listings in the program listings region.
 25. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising the step of automatically displaying a selectable embedded advertisement in the program listings region immediately adjacent to an associated one of the program listings in the program listings region. 